Paige’s Page O’ Names!

I’m going to try to produce name lists semi-daily, probably every three days or so, but these are not normal lists! I will provide personal commentary whatever “insight” I can muster. And without further ado, here is my very first list: names from Norway.

Top 10 MALE names:

1. Jonas- In the US in 2007 this ranked #331, and it’s rising steadily. I am sure it will explode this year or in the next few years due to- you guessed it- the Jonas Brothers. While it is an alright name for me, I prefer the Old Testament Jonah. The literary connection to Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver does get Jonas a bonus [ ] in my book, as does the Jonas Salk potential hero-name.
2. Mathias- I like this one more than Matthew, which incidentally has been growing on me. Mathias ranked 779 in ‘07, and its popularity has fluctuated greatly. Still, if you want an intersting way to get to Matt but find Matthew too popular, this could be the way to go. Matthias is less popular, clocking in at 816 under Mathias AND Matias (795).
3. Magnus- If Mathias and Magnus sound similar together, it’s possibly because you’ve heard them as the names of Will Ferrell’s two kids (he spells it Mattias, however, presumably because his wife is Swedish). Magnus is one of those names that sounds great in Roman history and on supermodel babies, but not so great on the average (American, at least) child- or MY future child. An appealing nn, however, is the ever-more-popular Gus, heard on Augusts and Anguses everywhere. It’s either that or Maggie I suppose…
4. Elias- This moniker reminds me of Elias Howe, sewing machine pioneer. As a version of Elijah, I think it’s spunky and modern on a boy. But I didn’t think popular, until I saw that it ranked 173 in 2007. It sort of has a nn problem, for the only thing I can think of besides the blantantly female Ellie is just plain Lee, which is fine but lacking luster.
5. Emil- As the male form of the Latin Aemilius, it is hard to ignore the elephant in the room: female form Emily’s massive English-speaking-world popularity. Emil isn’t even ranked in the top 1000. I sometimes prn it Em-EEl, sometimes EM-uhl, like its probably intended because of the lack of an “e” at the end a la Emile Hirsch.
6. Henrik- This reminds me of Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian (big surprise) playwright of A Doll’s House and other literature. As a hero name (for Ibsen) and as a European alternative to the growing Henry and the falling Eric/k, frankly, Henrik rocks. It also is not ranked.
7. Sander- Ah, a version of Alexander which is not overused. In the US at least imo, Alex and now Xander/Zander are done to death as nns of Alexander and as given names. While my feelings for Sander are neutral, anyone who’s looking for an Alexander alternative or at least a more creative nn without resorting to Lexie should consider this. Again, this is not ranked.
8. Martin- This strikes me as the oddball of this list. In the US, Martin is a “dad” or “grandpa” name, or as seen in the new “Parent Trap” movie, a butler name. It is also the smart, obnoxious kid’s name on “The Simpsons.” Still, if you think about it, Martin sounds slightly debonair, slightly like James Bond’s middle name if he had one. The problem with me is that it’s awkward to prn. I have to say “Mart (awkward pause) In” or else it comes out sounding like “Mardin.” In other accents, it probably sounds fine, though. It was currently ranked 208 in ‘07.
9. Tobias- Toby all grown up! Tobias is #477 in the US and becoming slightly more popular year by year. IMO [in my opinion] it is a cool, underused Biblical name with a killer nn. (For HP geeks, it’s also the name of Snape’s father, but you knew that already).
10. Daniel- I’ll just come right out and say it: I LOOVE the name Daniel. To me, it just the right combo of strong, spiritual, masculine, and classic (and Daniel Jackson from Stargate Sg-1 does have something to do with that ). There is only one thing standing in Daniel’s way of becoming my top name: its’ popularity. It was #5 in 2007!

Top 10 FEMALE NAMES:

1. Thea- So lovely! Thea was not in the top 1000 last year, but it certainly deserves to be. It is both classic-sounding and a legit. nickname. Just say it out loud: Thee- ah. It is soft like a warm breeze, and looks like it would be the color pink to me.
2. Emma- I used to resent Emma, but now it’s on my short list. Though I prefer less popular offshoots such as Gemma, I have grown to admire its characteristics. Emma a really old name (it was going to be the stepmother of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who lived LOONG ago, for instance), it has strong lit. ties (Emma by Jane Austen), and it is just plain pretty. Too bad it was #3 in 2007 and has been hovering around the #1 spot for years now…
3. Julie- This surprised me- I’d think Julia would be more popular in Norway. Anyway, though I prefer Juliet, Julia, Juliana/Julianna, and Julianne (in that order) I think Julie is a cute new classic with strong hero-ties, such as St. Julie Billiart.  It was ranked #302 in 2007 and is dropping.
4. Ida- I do not mean to offend, but when I think of “dowdy” names, Ida comes to mind. I think it is the look of the “I” and the “d” together- for some reason this looks plain in my eyes (I do really like the similar Ada and Aida however). That said, Ida does have a distinct Norse flavor- it sounds like a pioneer girl almost. It was unranked in ‘07, though due to the similar Ava I wouldn’t be shocked if it rose in popularity. (and yes, I do have a not so great association with this name…).
5. Emilie- The quintessential American #1 name with an ending twist! This spelling conjures up Emilie de Ravin, “Lost” actress. While I like the name Emily/Emilie, due to their sheer numbers I wouldn’t personally consider it. Emilie is a cute, pretty name though, and the “-ie” keeps it eternally young. The Emilie spelling was ranked 582 and had been dropping in 2007.
6.  Nora- As the heroine of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and as a nn for classics like Eleanor, I really like the name Nora. It  is short, with a pleasant meaning (“Light”), and manages to be strong (with the “or”) and feminine simultaneously. I prefer it w/o the final “h” btw. In 2007 Nora was ranked 242 and appears to be climbing fast!
7. Ingrid- Ingrid and Astrid, to me, are two way underused cool Scandinavian names. The former conjures up Old Hollywood, and it just sounds so cutting-edge to me though I’ve met a couple of Ingrids. The downside, though, is that no nns come to mind, just Ingie and Griddie (blech). In 2007 it was ranked 626 and it appears, like Nora, to be rising.
8. Anna- Anna is a multinational, multi-century classic. In virtually every language it has a form, such as Annika or Annelies or Ana. Anna is a lovely, regal choice to make; this is all I can really say about it. It is quite ordinary however, and this is both a positive and a negative. In 2007 it was ranked #25 and it has been around that area for several years now.
9. Sara- Much of what was said for Anna can be said for Sara. It exists in many forms, and I have seen many a fight on whether it should be spelled Sarah or Sara in English. While I was on the fence for awhile, I finally conceded that Sarah looks more aesthesically pleasing. Either way, you can’t go wrong with Sara, but you won’t exactly stand out. In ‘07 Sara was ranked 81 and appears to be falling in popularity.
10. Sofie- On the list, it is indeed spelled this way, and it didn’t rank in the top 1000 in this spelling. Sophie, however, was ranked 82 and climbing RAPIDLY. A caution is that Sophie/Sophia/Sofie/Sofia is getting to be the most popular girl’s name in the US, and it is very widely used worldwide too. I often see it paired with Isabella- I’ve literally seen at least a dozen babies with the exact same name of Isabella Sophia. I can see the appeal though: it has a pretty, exotic, soft sound, an extremely appealing meaning, “wisdom,” and a royal pedigree.